COMMAND WELCOME INFORMATION
Your command welcome information is normally in
the form of a welcome aboard booklet (fig. 16-6). The
booklet familiarizes visitors and guests with your ship
or station and usually contains the following items:
l A photograph of the ship (for shore stations, a
photograph of the main gate or other familiar
point of interest)
. A welcome letter from the CO
. A mission statement
l A brief history of the command
. A list of unclassified statistics and facts
The format of a welcome aboard booklet varies
from a single-sheet trifold to an eight-page layout. Most
editors of welcome aboard booklets use 60-pound cover
stock for the front and back covers and either a four-or
eight-page layout (saddle-stitched). Your particular
design will be determined by the available funding and
the amount of information you have.
If your ship is scheduled to deploy, you may
have your welcome aboard booklet translated into
several different languages. For further information,
write to the Commanding Officer, Naval Technical
Intelligence Center (NTIC DS32), 4600 Silver Hill Road,
Washington, DC 20389.
COMMAND PRESENTATION
The command presentation often makes the first
and most lasting impression on your visitors. You can
deliver it in a command conference room or at a civilian
auditorium or banquet room during a community
speaking engagement.
Most command presentations are narrated live from
a script and accompanied by either overhead
transparencies or 35mm slides. Some are recorded on
videotape and have the same characteristics as a video
feature story. The latter is the most polished of the three
presentation methods, but it is not always the most
prudent choice. Updating a command presentation on
videotape takes time and it may not be suitable for
viewing by large audiences. Transparencies and slides
are relatively easy to work with and make a very flexible
command presentation.
Planning
Before you begin work on a command presentation,
ask yourself the following questions:
1. What is the objective of the presentation?
(Increase community awareness about the command?
Tell how the command contributes to national defense?
Familiarize newly reporting personnel?)
2. What is the target audience? (VIPs? Active-duty
military members? Local residents?)
3. What format should I use?
4. What resources are available?
Answering these questions in advance will let you
determine how technical you can get, what to emphasize
and how to arrange the information.
Organizing
A typical command presentation begins with a
description of the unit, its overall mission and brief
history. It then progresses quickly to the present tense
and describes what the unit does and how it does it (in
detail). The way your command is organized provides a
logical outline for the order of your command
presentation. Start at the top and work down, illustrating
your script with visuals. Try to avoid too many images
of static objects. People actually doing their jobs will
stimulate interest and tell the story most effectively.
Scripting
When you formulate your command presentation,
write the words to the script first, then locate or create
the images to support it. Keep the narration short —
between three and 10 seconds for each visual.
The script for a command presentation is similar in
appearance to the video news release shown in Chapter
14, save the administrative information, four-unit
heading, release line, and so forth. Use the left column
to identify the visuals and the right column for the
narration.
Some other points for you to consider regarding
command presentations are as follows:
l
l
l
l
l
l
l
Keep charts and graphs simple.
Limit the number of “word” transparencies/
slides.
Keep the format and color of title and “word”
slides consistent.
Make sure the type in “word” slides is large
enough to be read easily.
Keep the sentences in the script short and use the
active voice.
Avoid mixing vertical and horizontal slides in the
same command presentation.
Avoid using Navy acronyms.
16-9
